Should the Bears Target Kellen Mond or Davis Mills?

With the 2021 NFL Draft quickly approaching, it is becoming increasingly clear that the top five quarterbacks in this year’s draft will not fall to the Chicago Bears at number 20 overall. Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones are widely projected to go in the first half of the first round.

Barring a trade up, this leaves the Bears with limited options. Three other quarterbacks are expected to be drafted within the first three rounds – Florida’s Kyle Trask, Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond and Stanford’s Davis Mills.

The Bears seem more likely to go with Mond or Mills. Mond himself said, “I’ve had a lot of interactions with the Bears, and I definitely see a connection. I don’t want to say any names, but I’m definitely excited, especially them being able to watch me in person.” Meanwhile, Bears quarterback coach John DeFilippo was seen paying close attention to Mills at Stanford’s Pro Day.

It is important that Chicago makes the right decision in drafting a quarterback. Their most recent draft choice at the position in Mitchell Trubisky went terribly wrong. If the Bears decide to spend another high draft pick on a quarterback, would Kellen Mond or Davis Mills be more successful at correcting the disastrous history of quarterbacks in Chicago?

Kellen Mond

Kellen Mond had an impressive college career. A four year starter at Texas A&M, he led the Aggies to multiple successful seasons. He threw 71 touchdowns to just 27 interceptions over four years. Mond has the most total yards in Aggies history and his lowest passer rating since his sophomore year is 131.1.

Mond’s natural instincts are those of a professional quarterback. He can successfully avoid the pass rush and is patient in the pocket. He showcases his athleticism with his ability to scramble and throw a great deep ball. Mond has a strong ability to lead the offense and find open receivers.

However, Mond certainly has some unpolished parts of his game. At times, he takes too much time on his passes and is too patient. He occasionally throws wayward, questionable passes that would hurt him at the professional level.

Mond is a raw prospect who needs time to develop. It is unclear whether head coach Matt Nagy and his staff can be the group to successfully develop the Texas A&M product. They were unable to do so with Trubisky, although each quarterback is different. Kellen Mond has all the potential to be great, but he could just as easily be a bust and a waste of a second round pick.

Davis Mills

Davis Mills had a much less prolific college career than Kellen Mond. A highly touted recruit out of Georgia, Mills ended up only playing 11 games for the Stanford Cardinals. He redshirted his freshman year, sat behind K.J. Costello in 2018 and played just six games in his senior year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mills’ statistics are not particularly special, as he threw for 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. However, Mills showed enough to intrigue NFL teams in his 11 starts.

Mills has some similar characteristics to Kellen Mond. He can throw an impressive deep ball, makes good reads and is an ideal size for a quarterback. While Mills does not have the same scrambling ability, he can move out of the pocket if necessary and use his legs.

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 14: Stanford’s Davis Mills before a game against the Colorado Buffaloes on November 14, 2020 in Stanford, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Mills often takes too much time throwing the ball, leaving receivers hanging. He is unpolished, and unlike Mond, does not have a lot of experience at the college level. This could make for an even more difficult transition to the professional level. Mills is also mainly a pocket passer, a system outdated in today’s NFL and unlike Matt Nagy’s desired scheme.

He is a very skilled quarterback. Despite his talent, he is raw and not ready to play in the NFL. He likely needs even more development than Mond and would be a big project. However, he is more likely to fall to the Bears in third round, which is helpful as the Bears have many needs and might like to use a second round pick on a more NFL ready prospect.

Conclusion

Mond and Mills are raw prospects that are not quite NFL ready. However, they both have a lot of potential and similar skill sets.

The fact that Mills could be drafted a round later than Mond does have an impact. If the Bears are keen on both quarterbacks, they might defer to the one that goes later in the draft. However, Mond is more fit for today’s NFL, a bit more talented and could require less development time than Mills. Therefore, the Chicago Bears should be more intent on drafting Mond than Mills.

Featured Image Courtesy of Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

You can “Like” The Game Haus on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers, along with Jack! 

“From Our Haus to Yours”